Mix of cricket, Bollywood working wonders for IPL

NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) seems to be living up to the hype. Though it is early days in the life of the 45-day tourney, a first look at the ratings by TAM Peoplemeter System shows that IPL has delivered a record opening. The first match played in Bangalore between Shah Rukh Khan���s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Vijay Mallya���s Bangalore Royal Challengers (BRC) on Friday delivered ratings of 8.21 with 12.5-million people tuning in to watch the match.

The next two matches, Chennai Super Kings versus Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals versus Delhi Daredevils, saw viewership dip slightly to 4.97 and 5.58, respectively, but that���s still substantially higher than all non-India matches played in the World Cup, which averaged TRPs of 2-3.

The recent India-Australia ODI series delivered TRPs of 4-6 despite the much-talked about racism row. IPL ratings are also in stark contrast to Subhash Chandra���s ICL which posted TRPs of less than 1 in its inaugural season last year and fared only marginally better in the second. The ratings are for six metros, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, across a target group of four-years-plus cable & satellite homes.

Interestingly, two IPL matches, KKR v/s BRC and KKR v/s Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, garnered an ad-to-programming ratio of 23:77 and 22:78 respectively, according to TAM data, higher than last year���s T20 World Cup average of 12:88.

So, it is initial hype or will the momentum sustain through the series? Independent media buyers say the challenge would be in sustaining viewership through the full course of the tournament, adding that if that does happen, IPL ratings may surpass last year���s Twenty20 World Cup final, which averaged a figure as high as 15.2. IPL CEO Sundar Raman said: ���We are thrilled that this concept got consumer acceptance from day 1.��� Asked about all the critics who had predicted that IPL would not cross TRPs of 3, Mr Raman said: ���I would not want to comment on that.���

Official broadcaster Sony Max says it will now hike spot rates to Rs 3.5-4 lakh per 10 seconds for the remaining matches. Said SET president Rohit Gupta: ���The response from television audiences and stadia has been higher than what we expected. People rooting for Sanath Jayasuriya in an Indian stadium was unheard of but it happened.���

Sony Max has about 150-200 seconds of inventory left. It plans to sell the next 15-20 matches at Rs 3-3.5 lakh per 10 seconds, and the last 10 matches at about Rs 4 lakh for 10-seconders.

Even media buyers say they did not expect such an exceptional opening. Said Group M-owned Mindshare���s GM MK Machiah: ���The ratings are 50% higher than what we expected. The bigger challenge, of course, will be to see how the weekday matches deliver, considering that there are a lot of new general entertainment shows in the pipeline.���

Says Ambika Srivastava, CEO, ZenithOptimedia, a big media buying/planning agency: ���From the first set of ratings, the format is proving out to be high on interest and trial levels. The format is a win-win game for advertisers and broadcasters and surely the viewership is going to be high for semifinals and final.���

Cautioning against the initial hype, Starcom MediaVest ED Tarun Nigam said: ���The mix of cricket and Bollywood has worked very well. But let���s not get too overawed, the real test will be to sustain these ratings through the full season.���

Advertisers who paid a premium to be on the tournament obviously can���t hide their excitement. Said Coca-Cola VP marketing Venkatesh Kini: ���IPL has provided marketers with a very exciting platform to connect with consumers. What makes this event even more appealing is that it coincides perfectly well with the summer season.���

Equating IPL to a ���reality show���, Vodafone marketing head Harit Nagpal said: ���We invested in IPL anticipating such ratings. The format is such that it combines the largest reality show in this country backed by Bollywood entertainment.��� Commenting on the sustainability of the event, Mr Nagpal said: ���I���m sure people who have stakes in the game will do everything possible to make it work.���

Those who opted out of the IPL are saying it���s too soon to declare IPL as the only winner on TV. Said LG India sales & marketing director V Ramachandran: ���IPL did not fit in with our internal calendar. We have many other plans lined up for the coming months.��� Said a Bharti Airtel official who did not want to be named: ���We evaluate several opportunities, no one can sponsor every tournament, one has to make choices.���